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The Yoga of Poetry, The Mantra of Poetry

The power that poetry holds to create and transform our lives is more than humanity understands. We are more powerful than we imagine, and what we express holds the power to shape the life within and around us.

When we write, when we speak, when we express anything in life, there lies hidden behind our expression a deeper Spirit, a vibrating Force of Creation which has a reality far beyond simply the momentary appearance of expression. The expression vibrates not only within us, creating us, but also throughout the world, mingling with the life and human presence everywhere, calling forth more of the vibrating and living Expression that we put forth. When we do this with an ever higher and deeper Consciousness, the power behind our expression intensifies and begins to live more strongly and create at greater levels.

Poetry in its truest manifestation is indeed a Yoga of words, but also a Yoga of the inner psychological nature seeking its own Truth. It is a way of engaging and connecting more consciously with one’s inner Self and Soul, with the Creative Being that lies at the Heart of oneself and all of Life. In other words, poetry can be used…it can be a Yogic practice of self-transformation through the effort of engaging oneself, one’s psychology on all levels of one’s nature. For some, poetry can be a release of emotion, for others it can be an exploration and harmonizing of idea and intellectual understandings, and for still others it can simply paint subtle flowing pictures of the imagery of life around us. When we begin to make it more and more personal, and open ourselves to the greater truths within us, when we begin to find that in the Silence of our thinking minds and emotional movements there lies a still more profound Poetry of the Soul and Spirit, of the Divine Source, which can illuminate us in ways that can change the way we experience and live life, then the real Yoga of Poetry begins to awaken.

The ancient spiritual texts of the Veda or the T’ao te Ching, and others throughout history, were the mystic poetry of their particular age, expressing the inner-most spiritual experiences and Realizations of the sage-writers. Their words became Mantra, charged with the Spiritual Force of their direct inner Realizations, like a dynamic Bridge with the potential to connect the one who feels the inner Essence of the words expressed with the experience of the Spirit behind the words. The word-poems became infused with a palpable Spiritual Presence, not only by the experience of the sage-poet but also with the recitation of the Mantric Poems over thousands of years by Yogis and Gurus and devotees. Their power grew with every consciously felt chant and repetition, increasing the capacity to change the nature of those who repeat the words faithfully – like a super-charged Prayer full of the Energy of the Divine that aims to make us BECOME and embody that Divine Energy and Spirit.

We too hold this power of Creation within us. While some may use the ancient Mantras to help transform their lives, we also hold within us our own personal Mantras, our own unique Soul Poetry which can help us to grow as we engage more deeply our inner Truth. Our poetry can be simple or complex, of many words or few. It can work in our mind, our emotional being, our Soul, or even our physical bodies and cells. What matters most is the Consciousness with which we write, the inner state of Being in which we dwell when we are writing, and the Spirit that vibrates within us while we create and express what flows through us. When we find those lines or words of poetry that we feel connected to, which seem to vibrate especially strongly for us and flow with a Higher Truth, then we can even use these lines as a creative Mantra in our daily living, whether temporarily or throughout our life. When we inwardly repeat within ourselves the Mantric poetry that we have been inspired with, or which other poets have been inspired with, we call forth and create the Spiritual Essence that lies behind the words, connecting us with that Spirit and calling it forth into Existence. The Mantric Poem becomes a powerful Creative Force that can manifest what lies Beyond and can help transform ourselves and the world according to the Spirit that we call forth with our Mantric Poem. It is this kind of poetry, this power of a Spiritual Poetry, a Yoga of Poetry, which is the future of poetry itself. This potential lies within everyone, at whatever level of evolution we may be. So invite yourself to begin the Sacred Journey of discovering your own Inner Poetry.

2 thoughts on “The Yoga of Poetry, The Mantra of Poetry”

I find this extremely fascinating as I had a period of time where I wrote 7 poems; or as I say, they were written through me. That is how they felt for me at least. Also, I recently started practicing Yoga regularly and am about to start a 30day Yoga Teacher Training program…

Recently, I’ve been wondering if more poems would flow as it has been a while. I’m looking forward to this inner journey with the YTT program and seeing my own Inner Poetry!

Yes, I know what you mean….the poetry can write us sometimes, just as the Yoga eventually begins “doing us” more and more as we learn to Surrender our small identity for the true Identity of Oneness with All, from Within……Wish I could help you awaken your “Inner Poetry”….. for it is certainly there! I would love to continue communicating with you if you ever wish…..my email again is earthyoga1@yahoo.com. Lots of Blissful Love to You!